Box Score

DAVIS, Calif. -- UC Davis junior guard Dani Nafekh led all scorers with a game-high 21 points, pacing a quartet of Aggies in double figures on Saturday afternoon and helping her team to a, 97-42, exhibition victory over visiting Oregon Tech at The Pavilion.

In the earliest exhibition opener in the program's Division I history, UC Davis finished with its second-highest point total in 12 tune-ups overall, trailing only the 118 points scored against the Australian Showtime traveling team on Nov. 6, 2008.

Nafekh's 21 points would have been a career high for the Oakville, Ontatio, Canada, native had the statistics counted toward her season totals, as she hit 8-of-13 from the floor -- including four, three-pointers -- in 28 minutes of play. Nafekh's career high is 17 points, last achieved at Utah Valley last season.

She was joined in double figures by classmate Rachel Nagel, who narrowly missed out on a double-double with 19 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while newcomer Nina Bessolo scored 12 of her 18 points in the second half on 6-of-11 shooting overall in her debut, adding four rebounds and three blocks in 15 minutes off the bench. Junior Pele Gianotti added 11 points, four rebounds, and five assists, to round out the quartet.

The Owls, ranked No. 20 in the preseason NAIA Division II poll, were held to just under 28 percent shooting from the field for the game, were led by a double-double of 13 points and 14 rebounds by Morgan Roberts-Ele, and a team-high 14 points from Nohea Waiwaiole.

UC Davis never trailed despite a slow start that saw both teams start a combined 0-for-9 from the field. Nagel's two free throws two minutes in gave the Aggies their first lead before Oregon Tech tied it on a basket inside by Roberts-Ele. Gianotti converted with an "and one" to spark a 12-0 burst by UC Davis that gave the Aggies a lead they would never relinquish, leading by as many as 13 points in the opening quarter.

A 6-0 run late in the period brought the Owls back to within seven points at 17-10 with 1:18 to play in the first, but that would be as close as they would come the rest of the way. The two teams traded baskets for much of the second quarter before UC Davis closed on a 9-0 run to take a 45-23 lead into the locker room at the break, and opened the third with a 10-0 spurt to go up 32 points just two and a half minutes in.

The Aggies, who shot 50 percent from the floor for the game and ou-rebounded the Owls by a 44-34 count, out-scored Oregon Tech, 30-5, in the third quarter, holding the Owls to just a pair of field goals while hitting 10-of-17 from the floor themselves, and 52-19 in the second half en route to the win.

UC Davis' defense forced Oregon Tech into 22 turnovers, leading to 31 points for the Aggies, who had every player who entered the game on Saturday finish in the scoring column.

Saturday's contest was the first of two exhibitions for UC Davis this season, as the Aggies host Stanislaus State on Nov. 4, at 7 p.m., at The Pavilion. The Aggies officially tip-off the regular season on Nov. 11 against Portland.

UC DAVIS 97, OREGON TECH 42

OREGON TECH (EXHIBITION)
WAIWAIOLE, Nohea 4-12 6-13 14; ROBERTS-ELE, Morgan 5-14 3-6 13; SHUMAKER, Mikaela 2-3 0-0 4; DRZAYICH, Mary 1-4 1-2 3; MCISAAC, Carly 1-6 1-2 3; HASHAGEN, Katlyn 1-1 1-2 3; BIDDINGTON, Alix 0-2 2-2 2; JORGENSEN, Taylor 0-1 0-0 0; VANDENBRINK, Ashlei 0-4 0-0 0; TONEY, Baylee 0-2 0-0 0; MORRIS, Megan 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 14-51 14-27 42.

UC DAVIS (EXHIBITION)
Nafekh, Dani 8-13 1-2 21; Nagel, Rachel 5-9 7-9 19; Bessolo, Nina 6-11 4-4 18; Gianotti, Pele 3-7 4-4 11; Song, Sophia 2-7 2-2 7; Bertsch, Morgan 3-5 1-1 7; Anderson, Marly 3-4 0-0 6; Eaton, Karley 2-6 0-0 5; Beyer, Lauren 1-1 0-0 2; Eaton, Kourtney 0-3 1-2 1. Totals 33-66 20-24 97.

Oregon Tech................... 12 11 5 14 - 42
UC Davis...................... 23 22 30 22 - 97

3-point goals--Oregon Tech 0-12 (WAIWAIOLE, Nohea 0-1; ROBERTS-ELE, Morgan 0-2; MCISAAC, Carly 0-2; JORGENSEN, Taylor 0-1; VANDENBRINK, Ashlei 0-4; TONEY, Baylee 0-1; MORRIS, Megan 0-1), UC Davis 11-29 (Nafekh, Dani 4-5; Nagel, Rachel 2-5; Bessolo, Nina 2-6; Eaton, Karley 1-4; Gianotti, Pele 1-3; Song, Sophia 1-3; Eaton, Kourtney 0-2; Anderson, Marly 0-1). Fouled out--Oregon Tech-ROBERTS-ELE, Morgan, UC Davis-Bertsch, Morgan. Rebounds--Oregon Tech 34 (ROBERTS-ELE, Morgan 14), UC Davis 44 (Nagel, Rachel 9). Assists--Oregon Tech 4 (TONEY, Baylee 2), UC Davis 23 (Eaton, Kourtney 6). Total fouls--Oregon Tech 17, UC Davis 22. Technical fouls--Oregon Tech-None, UC Davis-None.